NAACP Mourns the Passing of Eunice Johnson

January 07, 2010

Eunice Johnson, wife of Ebony magazine founder John H. Johnson
and director and producer of the Ebony Fashion Fair died of at the
age of 93 on Sunday, January 3rd, 2010.

“Eunice Johnson was a source of inspiration to all African
Americans with a passion for the arts,” said NAACP President and
CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “Her contributions through
Johnson Publishing Company boldly projected the voice of the
African American community as a part of mainstream media, while her
service as director and producer of the Ebony Fashion Fair
established a benchmark of excellence for a generation of aspiring
fashion designers.”

Johnson was a close business partner of her husband's since the
creation of Johnson Publishing in 1942, and was the company's
secretary-treasurer at the time of her death and wrote a monthly
fashion feature for Ebony magazine for several years. A fashion
pioneer, Johnson was most notably known as director and producer of
the Ebony Fashion Fair, and served in the position since 1961.

“In a period when African American voice and artistry was often
suppressed, Eunice Johnson worked tirelessly to provide a forum for
that voice to be heard, and a stage for that artistry to be
developed. Her legacy will always be that of elegance, grace
and an appreciation for the arts, and her contributions will be
missed,” concluded Jealous.

Johnson is credited with creating the name of Ebony Magazine,
one of Johnson Publishing’s flagship publications. Her reputation
for generous financial contributions to the world of fashion
cemented her prominence into the world of high fashion.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest
civil rights organization. Its more than half-million members and
supporters throughout the United States and the world are the
premier advocates for civil and human rights in their communities,
conducting voter mobilization and advocating for equal opportunity
in the public and private sectors.